do you have to go through being a police officer to be a homicide detective?

Hi Trinity

While I have not recruited specifically for homicide detectives, I have found that the best way to find out about any career is to go online and ask. There is information out there that will tell you what people do in certain careers, other sites that might describe a typical day in the role, jobsites with openings and job descriptions as well as salary ranges for the positions, etc. YouTube may have videos explaining the same. If you look at multiple sites, look for consistencies in what they say. This should help you feel more comfortable that the information you are reading is accurate.

I used Google and typed in your question. Here is what I found so far to get you started.

Hope this helps. Feel free to reach back out.

Carol

Become a Homicide Detective: Step-by-Step Career Guide - Study.com

There are five general steps to follow to become a homicide detective:

Step 1: Meet Department Standards. ...

Step 2: Become a Police Officer. ...

Step 3: Get Promoted to Detective. ...

Step 4: Continue Education. ...

Step 5: Gain Experience for Career Advancement.

https://study.com/.../Become_a_Homicide_Detective_Step-by-Step_Career_Guide.html

Yes, you do. I haven’t met a homicide detective yet, that wasn’t a patrol officer first. And homicide doesn’t always take you right from patrol. Some officers do missing persons, narcotics, robbery, vice and similar divisions first. If you are eager to work homicide, be sure to state this out loud when you first start in patrol. Let the supervisor, or commander of homicide know this. If you do, you may not have to be in patrol, or another division, for very long. Do some reasearch before you apply at any police department. It’s of little value to you, to work for a police department, that has few homicides per year. At the risk of sounding morbid, or insensitive, you want to pick a department that has several per year. That gives you a better chance of becoming a homicide detective. You are doing your community a great service, if this is what you choose. My best wishes to you.